Presence of Certain Foodborne Pathogens in Traditional Balearic Islands' Meat, Pastry, and Cheese Specialties Supported by European Union Quality Schemes, from 2018 to 2021.

The cuisine of the Balearic Islands (Spain, southern Europe) has several products of a great tradition, recognized worldwide and covered by European Union quality schemes, such as Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). Among them, the most emblematic products are (a type of raw curated pork meat), (pastry product), and (cow's milk cheese). During 4 consecutive years (2018-2021), the presence/absence of β-glucuronidase positive (henceforth as ), , Salmonella spp., and in these products has been monitored, as well as the total yeast and mold count in . The results of the microbiological analysis showed that presented similar microbiological patterns to those of other raw curated meat products (some presence of and ). Furthermore, the made with white pork tended to be positive in compared to other subtypes. In the case of , only a reduced number of cases within filled (with higher moisture content) presented unacceptable mold and yeast counts (>500 colony-forming unit [CFU]/g). Finally, the cheese presented a surprising microbiology pattern: higher contamination in the pasteurized milk cheese compared to its raw counterpart. This pattern was observed for all the years, being statistically significant in 2020. This study has detected good microbiological status in the three traditional products studied. However, worrisome issues in Good Hygienic Practices have been detected for some companies that produce pasteurized milk Mahón-Menorca cheese under the PDO quality label. The companies involved and even the competent authorities should address these problems to correct this deviation in food security.